Day Nineteen

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Please post today's updates/excerpts/thoughts/etc. in comments.

Here's today's daily prompt for your updates, excerpts, any thoughts, etc.

Yesterday's post: Day Eighteen

Comments

[quietann.livejournal.com]

More editing and scene-expanding yesterday, e.g.

The party was marred only once, and at a point when the guests had had enough Vorkosigan wine that they could laugh it off. Aral's cousin Padma and Ges's two younger brothers Yves and Patrice, all decidedly wending their way through the goofy stages of boyhood, decided to set off firecrackers under the chairs occupied by the stodgiest guests at the event -- though some underdeveloped sense of self-preservation kept them away from targeting either Count Vorrutyer or Count Vorkosigan. Their prank caused the elderly Countess Vorhalas to faint, luckily not dead away. The boys scampered out of the room with a trail of Armsmen chasing after them. The Countess recovered, but not so quickly as to miss getting fussed over, and the party went on.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

the goofy stages of boyhood

:-D I like that!

[quietann.livejournal.com]

Biggest problem, though: The Novella That Ate My Life doesn't have a title. I originally started with something based on Revenge (given that many years later, one character thinks he's getting revenge on the other by doing nasty things to the other's lady love) but it really isn't that. "If I Would, Could You?" -- a line from an Alice in Chains song -- is the closest I have right now.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't recognize the reference to the song, but I wonder if that matters? If the title suits the story. Perhaps you could use some lines of the song at the start, if there was something that suited, and you wanted to make the connection clear?

[tawek.livejournal.com]

Today's been a real struggle. I write for a bit then feel exhausted. Then try again later. Somehow, I've managed 1244 words over quite a few hours, but it's felt like swimming through treacle. I hope I'm not sickening for something...

This puts me at 59.4%, which means I'm still about a day behind and the weekend's coming to an end. But I'm reasonably happy with what I've written, and I have caught up a fair bit.


Lytella leaned over to her. “This is the Leon whose caused all that fuss. You know. Thrashed Adosco in a duel, placed the feather, servant humiliated Tavel.”
So this is what he looks like. Good thing my daughter isn’t here. Just the type for that silly day-dreaming fool. Massetta had plans for her daughter, and they did not include some nobody from a minor kingdom.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

I hear you about the exhaustion. You put in a great effort, more than 1000 words is nothing to sneeze at.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Sorry you've been so tired and well done managing 1200 words. Try counting down rather than counting up - it really made a difference to my enthusiasm.

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

I managed 580 today, making me 1080/6000 on chapter 5, so at least 580 is above my required average to reach the revised target.

Excerpt of the day:
"Ah, I see." Cortz compared Harln's evasive answers with the impression the earlier reports had given. "And where were the guard when the Ch'feng marched in? Why did they not advise him against it? Why did they not pull back when the crowd became angry?"
"The Ch'feng is an obstinate man."
And you are a very poor liar, Cortz thought.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Another bad day: only 227 words on the block and I'm insufficiently happy with any of them to want to include an extract. On the plus side, I've just passed 9000, so I've less than a thousand to go for my revised target.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Less than 1000, woo!

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'd really like to finish the story as well, but I do seem to keep running into walls.

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

Well with only 1000 to go, 200 a day is plenty to hit that target.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Yes, despite all the discouragement I've been feeling all week, I've still got a non-zero tally every day, which is cheering.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Less than 1000 is brilliant going.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I'd love to finish the story too (only, what, 1 year 11 months late), but I think that might be asking a bit much.

[paranoidangel]

Less than 1000 will take you no time at all!

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

It's so easy to get stuck in the negatives, and forget how much better I'm doing than I feared.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

311 words today. I'm counting this as a victory since it was otherwise a crappy day all around.

She did not expect to be served wine, knowing the autarch's opinion of women drinking, but to her surprise Polykratos mixed a draught in a lovely red-figured bowl and offered it to her.



Or, to adopt the reverse counting method, 1779 words to go...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Sorry about your crappy day. 311 words is a definite victory.

[paranoidangel]

That's a great number of words on a crappy day.